Outbreak
by Mysterious Panther
Summary: Scientists tried to create the ultimate shot but instead they created a virus that makes every pokemon that comes in contact with it go completely insane and psychotic. The infected begin to attack humans and pokemon alike. Contains Language, OCs, Fights.
1. Prologue

This is the newly edited and revised Outbreak! So welcome one and all to the thrilling horrific adventure of my insanity trip! This maybe be re-edited again in the near future because of short preparation and limited beta work.

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"Darwin! Where the blast is that Petri dish I asked for?" An elderly man shouted at the young and nervous new assistant.

"Right here, M-m- Mr. Wyse," he cried out, his nerves were frayed and he had been working non-stop to help the professor complete this break in helping pokemon health.

"Well hurry up!" The Professor now known as Mr. Wyse told the newbie as he carefully and expertly mixed a combination of chemicals that were specifically selected for their adaptation and healing properties.

Darwin ran a hand through his slightly greasy dark brown hair, fidgeting as he thought to himself, _I really need to get rid of these cowlicks_. His hand felt awkward against the odd directions of his tousled hair. He was quickly brought out of his thoughts when another yell could be heard.

"Darwin! You good for nothing oaf! Get that Petri dish I asked for now, or this project and your job will be cut," the older science Professor threatened, his fist high in the air to prove his point.

Darwin gulped and somewhat sprinted towards the table that held a small mini refrigerator. He pulled the cool door handle open and glanced at its content with a groan. In his messy rush the day before to watch the bidoof migration, he had forgotten to label the Petri dishes he was assigned. He scanned each dish with a skillful light green eye and noted that every one of the dish looked exactly like the last. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he heard the thundering of shoes hitting the cement floor coming closer.

Darwin's nerves began to cringe as he though of the consequences of his irresponsible behavior. If he snatched the wrong dish the project would be completely ruin and his new job gone! But if he told the professor what had happened he job would be gone still and he would have a angry professor after him! Darwin silently then wished that he could have joined the Jiggly Puffers Band when he was younger. That might have saved him from this job that threatens to harm his sanity. Darwin finally gained enough courage and hesitantly put a hand into the fridge and picked up a random cool Petri dish and carefully brought to the impatient Scientist.

"Finally." The white haired man mumbled. The assistant didn't reply and with a slight frown returned to his desk to finish his notes on the current migration of the bidoof going from the Eterna Forest toward Lake Verity.

Professor Wyse quickly opened the dish and slid it next to a test tube filled half way with a strange bubbly purple liquid. His work that he had been experimenting with for the last two years was about to be completed! Prof. Wyse carefully, with the tips of his fingers, picked up the dish and began to scrape the top of what should have been stem cells with a small metal loop instrument. He then took the loose 'cells' and shook them into the purple liquid's test tube.

He rotated between stirring clockwise and counter-clockwise to make sure all was dissolved and evenly distributed.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Prof. Wyse exclaimed excitedly with a smile. His work if successful could possibly give him a Pokebell Peace Prize! Or better yet he will be world renowned scientist for this simple discovery of creating a immunity shot! A simple shot that would cure burns, frostbites, poison, and more for years with only one dose! Mr. Wyse quickly calmed himself down but can't seem to wipe the grin off his face as he composed himself and walked past his assistant.

Mr. Wyse went over to the lab's sanitation station and opened one of the wooden steel drawers searching for a hypodermic needle for his subject. "Darwin! Get the pidgey and gloom prepped for the final stage." The cheerful old man called out, pacing back to his small office and uniformly prepared the shot.

Darwin obeyed sullenly pulling two pokeballs out of his drawer next to him and quietly went to the back of the small lab where a minor battle ground and already caged pokemon were set up. As Darwin passed the cages a few pokemon who were awake gave soft calls to him who gave a small smile in return. As he released the pidgey and gloom onto the field, the freed pokemon gave their respective calls of, "Pidgey! And Gloooom"

The professor soon appeared beside Darwin and the assistant gave both pokemon a vitamin pill to boost their energy. Prof. Wyse calmly went to the flying type and pinned him down. The pidgey in alarm began to frantically wriggle trying to get out of the professor's hold but to no avail. Mr. Wyse steadily began to stroke the bird's head and calm it down and when the moment was somewhat at peace he gave the selected pokemon the shot painlessly into his wing. The elder man waited a minute before getting up and letting the pidgey go, watching closely for a reaction.

The bird gave a twitch and slowly but surely stood wavering on its feet. The Professor gave a approving nod and noted that the pidgey's eye had began to change colors rapidly. Suddenly the pidgey started to flap its wings violently yet never rose off the ground, it ruffled it's feathers briskly and almost instantly turned itself into an angry feather ball.

"Quite possibly a minor side affect." Professor brushed it off and continued to go on with the plan.

Darwin, who was beside the older man, swiftly took a step back as the pidgey glared and snapped viciously at the two humans.

"Mr. Wyse, I think I picke-"Darwin began, the guilt in the pit of his stomach began to gnaw on him like a growlithe with bone.

"Now, Now, Darwin. Let's not waste precious time and chatter. Let's start and see if my works for these past seven years have been worth it!" Prof. Wyse hushed the young man before he could continue. Mr. Wyse could feel it in his stomach. _This was it!_

Reluctant and slightly determined Darwin repeated the beginning of the sentence again but instantly stopped as he noticed the happiness and eagerness that shown brightly in his boss's eye. It dawned on him that what he was about to do would ruin this old man's goal. He would just kill the joy of this man with one simple sentence. This man had secluded himself in this dense Eterna Forest and work for seven years straight to complete his work and it took the older man almost half of those years to collect those ingredients. Now here was Darwin just clumsy and sloppy Darwin here to ruin it all. 'No..I will not ruin for this man,' Darwin declared to himself, 'Instead I will help him achieve it!"

"Okay. We can do this! Gloom use Poisonpowder!" Darwin told his new partner pokemon. The gloom obeys respectively and quickly shakes her head; spreading the poisonous spores towards the pidgey. Almost as quickly as the battle started the spores latch themselves onto the pidgey's feathers and the few lucky ones sail smoothly into his air ways while attacking the muscle tissue.

Prof. Wyse watched closely as the pokemon was poisoned. '_Come on…Come on!" _He thought as the pidgey reacted to poison slowly by coughing a bit. The pidgey flapped its wing several times before taking into the air. "Pidgey, get back here! You stupid bird pokemon!" Darwin's excitement quickly turned to anger as the pidgey failed to follow orders and started to attack the gloom.

"Gloom, quickly dodge his attack!" Darwin told his pokemon partner as the enraged pidgey began to dive towards them. The gloom slowly understood and complied with her master's requests by taking a step back as the pidgey swooped past, his sharp beak almost grazing the top of the gloom's head. The gloom gave a small cry as he returned with his beak jutting out like a lance and striking her.

"Gloom use poisonpowder again and come back towards me!" Darwin told the gloom before searching for her pokeball in his enormous stained lab coat pockets. Gloom had just begun to stir up her spores once more when the pidgey had finally hit its mark. The gloom gave a whimper as the pidgey rose from the crash and violently latched himself onto her while scratching her barbarically with his razor sharp talons.

Prof. Wyse and Darwin instantly ran over towards the two pokemon who continue to fight. "Darwin! Hurry and return the gloom to her pokeball!" Mr. Wyse told the brown haired man before going towards the aggressive pidgey. "Come here, Pidgey. C'mon.-"Before the elderly man could finish, the pidgey looked up from it's prey and glared at the man with it's strange and changing eyes. The gloom underneath it gave a small cry of pain and fear as the professor grew closer with each step towards the psycho bird.

The professor stooped down and held out a gloved hand to the stoic pidgey who snapped fiendishly at the hand with a hidden hatred. The pidgey then glanced up towards the professor with a sick beaky smile and simple disappeared. Mr. Wyse blinked and before he could register that the bird had vanished a terrible pain erupted from his hand. Prof. Wyse screamed and looked down to his hand to find the pidgey clamped on it. The pidgey rabidly continued to bite again and again till Mr. Wyse was certain that the bird had reached the bone. In attempt to free himself from the deranged pokemon, Mr. Wyse flailed his hand up, down, and to random directions to throw the bird off.

It worked. The force of gravity and the strength of his hand hitting the pokemon's face were too much. The pidgey spread its tainted wings and with one great sweep, took off as the professor reached out to strangle it with his uninjured hand. "Shit!" he cursed as he checked on his heavily bleeding hand before watching the pidgey create more chaos by flying towards the caged pokemon.

While this was going on, Darwin was checking on the distraught gloom that trembled with fear. He slowly walked up to the gloom becoming wary of the pidgey as Mr. Wyse approached the hostile pokemon. Darwin shielded the gloom from the pidgey's vision and tenderly looked her over. All that he could see was several deep scratches from the bird's talons and a few shallow gashes from his beak. Darwin patted the scared gloom softly on the head and spoke gently to her as he scavenged his pockets for that blasted pokeball.

He had finally found it when the gloom began to make an odd 'urf' sound. The young adult could only stare when he noticed that instead of the black beady eyes that he was so accustom to were gone and a pair of neon green eyes with two vertically parallel neon pupils in each eye stared right back at him. "What on earth has happen?" He thought as the gloom became eerily quiet and continued to stare. "Gloom?" Darwin called to the pokemon, hesitantly petting it when it began to twitch erratically.

The gloom's eyes never left his and Darwin took a step back. "It's alright, gloom. I'll help you feel better as soon as you get in your ball." Darwin called out to his partner. He readied the ball and waited as the light flickered onto the gloom. Darwin closed his eyes as he waited for the wait of the gloom to transfer into the pokeball.

It..never…happened. He inhaled sharply as it appeared that the pokeball had failed to take the gloom. Just when he was about to call on to Mr. Wyse for help, Darwin heard a blood curdling scream coming from behind him.

"Mr. Wyse, are you alright?" Darwin shouted in concern, running over to his kneeling boss who clutched onto his blood stained gloved hand painfully. Darwin kneeled before his boss and took the injured hand into his own. "We need to disinfect this ASAP." Darwin concluded after a couple of minutes of checking the wound. The young man gently tugged the older man towards the sanitation station close to the caged pokemon.

"No! We can't go in there! Its where that deviled bird is!" Mr. Wyse roared, snatching his wrist out of Darwin's grasp.

"Lord, No!" Darwin cried while stepping in front of Mr. Wyse. "Professor! We have to stop it! And also the Petri dish I gave you must have been the wrong one! I forgot to label them yesterday! I'm sorry! But right now that pidgey is spreading whatever we created. It already affected the gloom! I tried to put her back in her ball but that failed!" Darwin yelled out as his breaking point was reached.

This was too much stress. First the angry professor, the infected pidgey now gloom and now he was sure that the pidgey was trying to infect the caged pokemon as they spoke! Darwin began to gesture frantically to the gloom and it creepily crawled towards them as it bled profusely from the scratches and gashes Darwin had momentarily check before. Mr. Wyse held Darwin's gaze for a second before he gave a heavy sigh and stepped toward Darwin.

Guilt free but still mentally unstable Darwin knew that he had did the right thing but…Was it too lat? He didn't have any time to think it through when a loud crash and several pokemon calls were heard from the Cage Room.

Darwin looked to his boss for any hint on what should the do. Prof. Wyse gave a nod towards the caged are and held on to his disabled hand's wrist before continuing on. "So if pokeballs don't work, we should try to contain the two subjects in cages to quarantine them from the other pokemon to kill off what this thing is. It will keep it from spreading and to see what we created." Prof. Wyse murmured as they finally reached the Cage Room entrance, sounds of growling, hissing, and a loud _BANG_ came from the back of the room rose in volume with every second.

When the two scientists entered the room the first thing they noticed that all the cages- no they couldn't be the steel cages that Mr. Wyse had bought earlier that year—laid in an flimsy tin foil-ish condition on the floor.

Mr. Wyse rubbed his face hard with his able hand before clearing his throat. "We need to call the rangers or someone armed. This can not go very well. We-" The end of the sentence died in his throat as the sick gloom dragged itself into the room and with a Cheshire cat like smile focused on to the two human. The noise in the background started to die down. Darwin and Mr. Wyse fixed their eyes onto the gloom and the direction of the back room before deciding to go to the back room. Darwin inhaled a deep breathe before peeking around the edge to get a clear shot of what to expect when nothing appeared out of the normal. Darwin gave the professor a hand wave before going in the room cautiously and attentively.

In the cold stained tiled room lay at least two lifeless bodies, one a mutilated lopunny, the other a disfigured starly. Both died before their time was up. Darwin choked back a rise of vomit in his throat as the scene sunk in. The poor lopunny's body was ripped to shreds like the cages and throw about the room. Its head lay in a large puddle of its own blood. The starly looked more like a bean bag with splinters poking through it. The starly's wings were raw no skin was left it save for its tail and legs, also the wings were splintered like a piece of unlucky wood that had been struck by a bolt of lightning. The rest of its body was sunk in and looked more and more like an popped basketball by the minutes.

Darwin bent down and stroked the feathered corpse. Its feathers were smooth and damp with its blood. The sticky substance clung to Darwin's hand and he tried to rub it off on his jacket. "Prof. Wyse what should we do?" Darwin asked, he just wished that he could take it back. "Follow the tracks." Prof. Wyse put simply, pointing to the bloody paw prints that were left behind by the pokemon's murderers.

Darwin stood and followed Prof. Wyse into the very back of the Cage Room where the exit to the building was located.

"Do you think the pidgey could have broken the door using steel wing?" Darwin questioned his wise superior. Pokemon were strong, he knew that, yet are they stronger with that 'thing;' inside of them?

Prof. Wyse Shook his head and they turned in an angle, finding the door in shambles. The door lay in ruins sporting a large scrape with several large tears in the steel frame. "Clever and aggressive, I would say this was a outbreak of rabies but I have never seen rabies do that odd eye transformation." Prof. Wyse informed his employee as they both looked around for anymore victims. Unfortunately the caged pokemon had escaped along with the pidgey where outside they could infect even more pokemon.

"Mr. Wyse, Watch out!" Prof. Wyse heard his assistant yell in terror as something heavy crashed into his back and began to viciously bite him through his thin lab coat and blue shirt.

The older man gave a cry while trying to throw the menace off his back. "Darwin! Get out of here and warn the poke rangers!" He coughed as the creature's teeth scraped through a muscle in his lower back. Darwin in desperation threw himself onto the crazy predator and tackled it off of Mr. Wyse.

"Gloom, DOWN!" Darwin cried out as tears began to form in his eyes as he recognized the foe. Darwin had never in his life hurt a pokemon.

Yet right now it was either do or die. Darwin pulled his right hand back and began to pummel the gloom in the head while trying to keep it from shaking her head to release her spores. He just continued to repeatedly punch the once sane pokemon until he felt her go lax in his arms. Tears streamed down Darwin's face and slowly dripped off his cheek onto the lifeless body. With what little strength he had left, Darwin crawled back to his bleeding grabbed the professor's hand and clung to it as the warmth began to slowly fade.

"Darwin, you oaf…..Go….what..I…told…y-..y..you." Prof. Wyse whispered softly as Darwin leaned in to hear. "What should I do Professor," Darwin took a gulp of air before he finished, "Those things are still out there!"

"Stupid…You..f-f-figure…it…out..Life…doesn't..thro w you answers!" Prof. Wyse scolded as he released his final breathe.

Darwin could sit there as more tears ran down his face and on to his beloved professor. He had caused this, his professor's death, the release of a virus or bacteria that cause pokemon to go rapid, and the death of the pokemon and humans that will soon encounter it, and just for the stupid Bidoof Migration.

Darwin Winfield just caused what might be considered the end of the world.

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I admit this chapter is a bit boring and it lags but only because its the prologue.. I am happy that I am able to post this story on my Birthday :D (again).

So Reviewers and Readers. Whatcha think?


	2. Old Life

Author's Note: This story will contain some references to the real life world. I, Pan, do not claim these such devices for myself and all copyright goes to their owners. Will this story be updated every birthday? Probably.

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It was dark, damp, and bit chilly when the dark figure emerged from a shoddy building that laid in ruins. The shadow parted chapped lips and opened her mouth in a slight yawn as she wiped the grime from her sleep off her dirt-caked face. A dry eye strained to watch her surroundings as sore muscles screamed for her to crawl back into her temporary residence for another few hours of unconscious paradise.

She ignored the pain and with knowledge that is only self-taught, she clambered forward and maneuvered around the rubble and jagged ends of rusted metal posts, carefully watching for any signs of movement and listening for any unnatural moans of the supernatural.

The older teen gave a curt chuckle at her situation as she recalled this same date a year ago. What would her past-self say if she-now could tell her the entire Sinnoh region was under the reign of the undead? She shook her head in mild amusement and continued on climbing a sharp incline of rocks that threaten to send her tumbling down it's pointed side if she so dared to grab one of it's many loose stones.

It took a little less than an hour to scale the eighteen foot tall rocky incline, mostly because of her muscles which begged and seem to quiver every so feet of progress which prompted Claire to take a few minutes to rest before going on. Her parched throat threatened to remain close as she panted heavily while she stared down at the rough looking town perched below.

She knew better than to walk to the desolate town hoping for some supplies. If she just waltz up into the that town with no plan at all it was sure that she would die. Zombies are usually quiet creatures until they find a fresh meal or a prey to capture. Claire wished she known that sooner when she first started out, then maybe her new elderly neighbor, Misses Mitts, would have lasted longer in this infested region had she known, as long as she's wishing Claire wishes for some water to drink. Something to soothe this gritty feeling in the back of her throat.

Claire unsuccessfully tries to clear her throat but it only remains even drier as her body begins to shrivel up. How long had it been since her supplies had diminished? Two days? Three? She thought she could have at least lasted another five days after successfully finding a shattered house with a few loaves of slightly moldy bread, a dented can of green peas, and a delicious liter of flat Cola.

Alas, sharing food with her partners that help her survive also put her at risk of starving. Her pokemon friends now have to reside in their pokeballs for the sake of conserving their energy, health, and not making themselves hungry so that Claire herself can eat for her own survival. It was now up to her to carry, defend, and travel by herself unless absolutely necessary unless she preferred making her pals grumble with hunger.

Deeming herself momentarily rested, Claire edged around the lessening groups of sharp debris and broken glass and made a beeline towards the first house that she came upon. With great care she silently stepped towards the home tensely in case some random zombie deemed her a quick dinner. She whipped out the nuisance of a weapon that had been digging into her back the entire trip and armed herself ready as she peered into a dark hole where a window once was.

The dull black crowbar in her grasp shook slightly as she nervously took tentative steps into the home and rose into the air when a small noise made a presence known. Alarmed Claire whirled towards the sound and held her crowbar threateningly up in a striking stance. The sound maker fumbled a bit more, crashing into random pots and furniture pieces as it continued on towards her.

A muffled groan came from the unidentified being as Claire quickly backed out of the house, her arm shaking with both anticipation and anxiety as a decomposing SWAT officer stumbled towards her with a boney limb of a right leg and a stiff left one. _Oh to be the rebellious and naive child like I once was. _Claire thought as she brought the hook of the crowbar down onto the officer's shoulder. The zombie moaned in hunger as Claire jumped back after landing the blow. It fell down and creepily brought itself back up in a way so unnatural to it's body that it cracked and popped inhumanly.

The undead man garbled sickly from the congealed blood that hung out of his mouth and reached for the shorter girl. Claire held in a string of curses to prevent other undead from hearing them and swung again using more strength than she should have. With a small _'shcuk' _ the SWAT officer's loose left arm fell to the ground and lifelessly laid there while the rest of the body shambled forward.

Claire searched frantically for something to climb on that would put her just out of the reach of this ghoul; it would also provide her a moment's rest for her aching body. Heck if the zombie fell down now right on top of her, he would have a free meal she had no strength to push him off. Her arm muscles scream in pain from the sudden extreme stretch that had knocked the undead limb off. She couldn't finish off this zombie adult with her terrible body condition, not alone anyway.

Claire's right hand flew to her jean pockets for the salvation that held her position of being a fleshy meal in the balance. The cold metal bit into her hand as she rushed to pull the ball out of the rather tight pocket and defend herself. A quick flick of the wrist sent the chosen pokeball spiralling behind the zombie and a great flash of light reveal a large monstrous plant-covered dinosaur.

The beast gave a soft growl of "Trop!" before charging the zombie who stalked threateningly closer towards Claire. The black-haired girl quickly jumped into a pile of rocks to avoid the falling jaws of the zombie and the Take Down her lifelong partner had dealt to the man. The zombie's body crunched between the broken concrete and the tropius' large flat foot. It groaned in hunger for a final time as the leaf-winged pokemon crushed it's head with a swift stomp.

In relief Claire picked herself off the pile of rough rocks and plucked the little ones that managed to stick themselves deep into her skin out. Blood oozed slowly out of the cuts and in alarm Claire rushed to end the bleeding while she took long strides toward her partner who sniffed her affectionately. She feverishly rolled up the tattered long sleeves of her shirt and added pressure to the biggest of the wounds; from there to the second largest and so on until a pair of spine chilling moans echoed around them.

A younger blood soaked schoolboy and a familiar middle-aged woman groaned and grumbled as they struggled forward on stiffened limbs towards the taste-y looking girl. Claire bit her tongue in habit as her careless and dried out body tried to slump in exhaustion. She couldn't go on. Her body is on fumes, she hadn't so much as a drop of liquid go in or out of her body. Which she was extremely sure was not healthy in any sort of circumstance, and was _especially _hazardous in this one.

"Nanners, can you hold them off with Air Slash until I can pull myself together?" She asked her partner in a soft voice as the schoolboy gained some speed as he came down the hill.

Nanners nodded slightly at his trainer's request and began to gather a swirling angry sphere of air before him. With great care, Nanners lifted his forelegs off the ground and sent the ball of furious air into the zombie child's upper half. The child seem to crumple into a heap of broken dreams and twisted memories. In mere moments it sprung back to its completely gnarled feet; to her disgust, his rotting tissue clung hopelessly onto his once innocent face while a stream of blackened blood gushed from the lower base of his skull.

The putrid smell of the moving corpse was foul enough but with the added bonus of his sickening fountain effect, Claire was forced to cover her nose with her navy sweater collar while pinching it just for the small relief of the smell of her own natural body odor. Well it has been quite a while since she found any water at _much less_ any to spare for bathing.

The ex-news anchor who had lagged behind the kid made herself known as she charged towards Claire with a screech. Claire lashed out against the attacking woman with the hook end of her crowbar, swinging the sharpen end of her weapon at the ghoul's head. A crunch greeted her ears as she pulled her weapon out of the already collapsing woman. Claire gagged and fell to the ground as the nauseous smells of the many dead bodies and chemicals mingled and seized her olfactory system hostage.

Nanners in alarm gave a small call of "Pius!" as he tried to maneuver himself, around the still moving child, towards his trainer. As Claire bent over and dry heaved, she glanced at the body beside her that had sent numbing tingles down her arm when she swung. The familiarity in the broken and torn face puzzled her slightly when the memory of her waking up on the sofa resurface.

Claire recalled the woman's live news story on TV about how the infectious virus was rapidly spreading and how the military was setting up a giant barricade in Sunyshore. The blonde, in Claire's mind, seemed too haughty in her newscast; always making small remarks on her camera's angle or how her imperfection stood out when no one had noticed it until she brought it up. The woman was ranting unprofessional on how selfish it was for other regions to block all contact with Sinnoh and how they shot or quarantined pokemon and humans alike for months only to release them back to the devilishly flesh devouring land, when the cameraman tried to tell her to run. Her tragic flaw quickly lashed at him and began to tell the viewers how far the virus was spreading from its first release nine months ago.

Claire could hear the words play in her mind as the flashback of the cameraman trying to utter another warning to the woman. The man later in that same moment found her ending to be rather fitting as a fat human-flesh craving man wobbled towards the news anchor who continued to thrive on her passion of resentment. Her co-worker threw the camera to the ground and raced to the safety of the company's van as the fat zombie grabbed the broadcasting woman by the hair and bit a chunk out of her shoulder. Claire had just rose herself from a blissful nap when the man tried to convince the woman otherwise.

Watching a well-known person just being ravaged on live TV...was rather Claire wouldn't call it frightening but rather mind numbing. The thought of, 'This can't be _real_' had replayed over and over as if it were a broken song in her head that day as Claire had sat shivering in front of the tube. She had been told by numerous adult that zombies were only located in Eterna Forest and those that were found were shot by the military. Where are government officials who would try to assure then it was alright and everything would be just fine? How are these zombies spawning so fast and how did they get to Hearthome? Questions were flooding the media, and no one was answering. Even her know-it-all older brother had no answers for these fatal questions, he didn't even tease her with the usual cruddy "Miss Clear Idea Rider" name joke like he usually did when he couldn't think of a witty response.

Names. Zombies didn't care for names, all they wanted was your flesh..not the stereotypical brains that movie theatres claimed. Either way if a zombie bit you, you were going to die by fully being eaten alive or by turning into one of _them. _

Claire snapped back to attention as her troprius' heavy footsteps shook the ground as he pushed the creepy child back with a burst of air. Nanners made a small sound of relief in the back of his throat as Claire shakily stood up with the help of her bloodied crowbar. Nanners then turned around and, with a less fiery anger, hit the zombie child with his own neck which prompted a concerned gasp from Claire when the undead boy clawed at Nanners' neck as he slumped forward with brain matter falling out of the now larger hole in his head.

Claire struggled to run to her partner but the aching and twisted muscle tissue made it nearly impossible. She felt like she was being constricted in her own skin. Nanners paused and stood still as he registered what had just occurred as she toddled to him. With a small hand Claire felt along the rough muddy brown-colored skin for any open wounds or deep scratches as she cooed small and sweet nonsense to him. Finding no wounds except some minor scratches that barely broke the skin, Claire gave a silent cheer and hugged her pokemon with the feeling of both homesickness and victory at their survival.

Nanners rubbed his head affectionately against the unhealthy girl as she leaned on him for support. With a rather odd motherly, or would that be fatherly?, intention seizing control of his body; Nanners picked up the unusually-unresisting girl and laid her on his back as he took to the air in high hopes of a sanctuary that would last them a little more than a few hours. Nanners had no idea of where he was going of course, he was navigating towards a area that didn't smell of death as badly as the last place and that possible had some sweet, _sweet _fruit for him to munch on.

Claire couldn't even mouth the words of protest when her pokemon placed her onto his back. Her throat had entirely shut down and she was beginning to see black dots filtering over her normally clear eyesight. The swirling and morphing dots seem to grow bigger and darker than what the novels she has read have written. It was like the dots were taunting her with temptations of a bliss known as sleep but Claire knew, and boy did she know, that those dots were lying. They would take her vision away and leave her vulnerable, and with stomach-grumbling tropius beneath her, she knew that they would land soon. It was only a matter of time till the energy that Nanners had faded and all that would be left would be a hungry pokemon and a blind teen.

For a minute, Claire could have sworn she saw her brother floating next to her as she and Nanners sailed past numerous low clouds. She deliriously rose from her moving bed and with confusion written all over her face tried to grab her only sibling's hand. The figure had a peaceful expression on him as she hesitantly tried to touch him. Claire inched closer to the edge of her large pokemon to figure out if this crystal clear guy was really her brother and not one of the evil dots who somehow perfectly morphed in a humanoid shape. The figure never wavered with his glazed light blue eyes as she was mere inches away from touching his outstretched hand.

She leaned dangerously over Nanners' side and, with happiness and hope that maybe this entire zombie ordeal was a dream, she clutched at his hand. In a instant her brother's mirage was gone and she was falling, dancing in confusion in the icy crisp air. Nanners was diving towards her as she combated her own delirium. Her old bloodied bandages were fluttering away as soon as they were unravelled while Claire's arms flailed wildly as she rushed to meet the ground. Nanners was gaining distance madly but she was so close to the ground that even he doubted he was going to make it to her.

Then there it was. An angel of the Mother Nature, a tree. The tree with its forgiving branches of earthy colored leaves caught Claire in a painful landing. Branches broke sending shrapnel into both the still-green grass below and the girl, leaves were coming down in a lovely shower mixture of greens, yellows, reds, and orange almost tauntingly as Claire crashed into the ground. Though the tree didn't completely stop her fall, it's branches slowed her fall just enough for her to survive.

And so she laid there like a child's broken toy. Crushed, bruised, sobbing, and tortured. Nanner's stood idly by debating whether or not to move the girl in fear of causing her more harm. It was when she gave a soft cry of his name did he shuffle forward and gently rub his velvety against one of her bloodied palms. Claire muttered small apologies and tinkling thank-yous as she order Nanners to go back into his ball. The pokemon defiantly settled down beside the girl and placed his head next to hers. He made a tiny whine in the back of his throat as she struggled to reach to her pockets. Claire cried as pain ripped through out her body at the slightest of movements and continued on as she pulled her pocket outwards to let the pokeballs tucked in there roll out.

With the tips of her battered fingers Claire gave of the five pokeballs a small push toward Nanners' nestled forelegs. "When I...leave...free them please." She murmured to her tropius who rose and turned his head toward her in a look of pure horror and sadness.

He gave a mournful bawl as he nudged himself closer to the cold woman careful not to lose any of his friend's pokeballs. Claire held back another sob that threatened to rack her body in painful quivers as she felt the chill of the air surround her. Nanners quickly put his head in her icy hands while she fought to keep her eyes open. His warm breathe against her hand felt so pure against that tainted and mind-numbing cold wind that wafted over the pair. Claire let a deep rumbling sigh as her body fell into a calm and relaxed pose while she prepared to release herself. As fog began to cloak her and set little dew drops on her long lashes, she rubbed Nanners' soft face with the pads of her fingers as she slowly lost herself into a world of grey.

* * *

I felt bad while writing this if you couldn't tell. I'm a sucker for sad scenes and hopefully won't have to do this again anytime soon. I love updating on my birthday if you couldn't tell :).

**Reminder: Things will begin to slightly get more symbolic and such.**


	3. Serendipity

The sun had just began to rise over the horizon when the furret stirred in her sleep. The fading grasps of slumber released their hold on her as she stretched from her curled position. Her movement quickly made her trainer grunt in disapprovement as he shifted himself towards the warmth she left behind, but she paid him no mind as she sniffed the air cautiously. Her partner settled himself quickly and returned to the numbing comfort of sleep. Velvet scurried from the confines of the tattered remains of the blanket her boy was insistent on keeping, even though it had more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese, but she simply assumed it had more of a symbolic meaning than being a necessity.

Velvet peaked around the makeshift campsite, her nose inhaled the remnants of their campfire's smoke and the scent of the chemicals that lingered from within her partner's backpack. She could also detect the mixed smell of rotten hay and decomposing bodies from inside the shambled barn, although whether they were human or pokemon she could not determine. The barn, while a decent shelter for the few nights they remained here, proved also to be a disastrous place to stay with its hazardous woodwork that threatened her team's safety more than once with falling beams, or terrible defense it provided when a pair of zombies discovered the place. All it took was a couple of minutes of crashing into the barn door before it collapsed in a heap of sharp wooden shards. Her trainer didn't take that so well when it occurred and almost fell to his death as he had tried to ascend to the barn's loft when the stairs shattered almost on contact when he transferred his weight to them.

Thankfully, King caught the medical student in his metal lined wings before he vanquished the zombies with his golden claws, but it had sent a clear message to all of them after another zombie attack occurred the next day: they needed to move on. Nothing had kept them there in the first place, besides the barn having a roof that kept the regular downpour off them and the walls shielding them from the cold. Other than that they had no reason to stay. It was decided last night that this would be the final night of camping there before they set off to find salvation in some shape or form.

Velvet gazed outside the barn doors for a few moments before she made her way to the lush greenery that thrived from the constant rain and temperate climate the area provided. She nibbled on a blade of grass, her eyes darting about the landscape, searching for a hint of movement that suggested something sinister. She immediately locked on bush that stirred just to her left. The thick grass surrounding the barn provided great cover as Velvet stalked closer to the animated plant. Hidden between patches of thick weeds, a rattata wiggled about as it tried to crack a large nut with its enormous buck teeth.

The furret crept closer to its prey, who was unaware as its death was decided in a matter of seconds when the hunger pangs in the slender predator grew sharp. In a single pounce and swipe of her claws, Velvet pinned the wild pokemon down as it struggled to free itself from becoming her next meal. Her hunger outweighed her guilt as she gave the creature a swift death by snapping its neck with a twist of her head. The rattata twitched for a few moments before it released itself to the beyond. Velvet hauled her prize back to the barn by the scruff of the neck, her heart beating heavily as the hunt ended in a brief few seconds.

She arrived to find her trainer sitting up, blinking blearily as he tried to register his environment. The blanket pooled around his waist as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the palms of his hands when she greeted him. She laid her prize by his feet and met King's eyes as the empoleon moved to his master's side from the shadows.

"Oh...well..Thank you, Velvet?" The trainer fumbled, the rattata had a look of terror still marred on its face still as thin streams of blood oozed from the puncture wounds the furret had given.

Velvet's mood instantly brightened while her trainer pushed the corpse back towards her with the toe of his dirty boot. She gladly accepted the returned gift and dragged it off to the side away from the others to eat in peace while her trainer pushed the blanket off his lap and pointed at his backpack. King pushed himself off the wall he had stationed himself at and retrieved the item for his lazy trainer.

The young man dug through his backpack, setting aside all sorts of medical supplies to the left of him while he searched for his own breakfast. He was well rewarded, near the bottom of his bulky pounch a large bag of trail mix met his fingers, and, with a small pull on the bag's sides breakfast was served. The trail mix provided a mixture of protein, vitamins, and sugar with its contents of raisins, little chocolate chips, and different nuts. The crunch also help block out the sound of Velvet crunching on the bones of the poor rattata she captured. The trainer picked the almonds out of his handfuls and handed them to his water/steel type pokemon, who savored their salty taste before munching happily on their tough exterior.

His hunger sated for the moment, the trainer packed everything back into his bag and cushioned it by engulfing the contents with his quickly deteriorating blanket. Velvet was finishing up her meal when the white haired adult glanced over towards her and stood up. His wrinkled shirt and scrunched jeans that felt rather crusty made the male wrinkle his nose in disgust before he rearranged his clothing in a more comfortable position. When he swung his bag onto his shoulder, it took a moment for him to readjust the hefty bag, but with help of King's claws, the boy managed to get both arms through the straps.

He gathered the rest of his friends in their pokeballs and hooked them neatly on the belt cinched around his waist. The sturdy belt was a dark ash gray color, hinting to whoever saw it that it may have been black at one point. He double checked his pokeballs to ensure that everyone was accounted for, and then used his shoulder to widen the barn door, setting out to find a bit of a miracle.

_Near the heart of a broken soul and a dying dream_

Caspian hadn't expected to find what he assumed to be a fresh, untouched corpse lying tucked away beneath a mangled tree. Perhaps it was fate for a unlicensed medical student who never had the chance to experi- perform a surgery or become involved in an autopsy to find such a _rare_ specimen. Sure he could have experimented on the dozen of rotting bodies but they were never in near perfect condition as the one before him. Most of the ones he stumbled upon were either rotted beyond recognition, were demolished by zombies.. the poor souls, or were _tainted_. The tainted were far worse than any bodies he had came across. The contaminated corpses were contorted in odd poses and blackened veins that look like dark roots extending from their vile tree, plus the unnerving suspicion that the tainted could possible rise again.. it wouldn't have been the first time for him...

He ventured closer to the body of the girl with his King by his side, caution didn't kill as quickly as recklessness. Velvet scampered behind them alert and readied to attack in case undead attempted to surprise them from the rear. Caspian watched intently for any sign of movement as the yards away became only a couple of feet apart.

King stood off to his right, close to the girl's head for a quick attack if the body proved to be not as pure as he thought. As he settled himself next to the body distracted with his bag enough not to notice the small rise in the girl's chest, Caspian pondered mindlessly about the medical phenomenon the virus had caused. The virus itself proven to only work on the living probably because they had circulating blood flow but only a selected few of the infected 'survivors' live past a day.

Caspian pulled a pair of heavy duty scissors from his pack and began to cut away the ragged remains of the girl's shirt, tossing the strips of fabric to the side of him. It took mere moments for him to peel the shirt off her dirty body. Blood and grime peeled and flecked away as he continued to tug the last of the tattered pieces off. The girl's body was a sickly pale, covered dry blood which seem to have a green tint to it from numerous small cuts and almost black-bruising formed along the sides of her ribcage.

The doctor-wannabe gave a low whistle as he lightly ran his fingers over the bruises, feeling the bones that were out of place and the dryness of her skin. He reached over to her hand and lightly pinched the skin around herwrist. It sagged slowly down before going back to its original shape, confirming his suspicion of her severe dehydration. He then spread out her fingers and looked at her nails. Dirt and crimson colored-blood were caked underneath the chipped and worn nails, suggesting that at one point she attempted to fight back against either a fresh undead or treat her wounds**.** He placed his fingertips against hers to get a better look at her hands when a screech echoed around the group.

King jumped into action when a large bird pokemon swooped dangerously close to his master. Caspian ducked down beside the body he was so fascinated with while King ran towards the noctowl. The pokemon turned back around, diving at poor Velvet with a jutting peak as King prepped a metal claw to throw. The noctowl quickly realized what the large penguin was doing and swerved in the nick of time to avoid the attack.

Caspian twisted his torso around to watch the scuffle, his other hand readied to throw in support if King needed someone stronger than Velvet. But it seemed that King had it under control as the noctowl fell to the ground after a blast of hydro pump and Velvet wrestled the bird to the ground to prevent it from rising.

He turned his body back towards the girl, releasing the hold on his pokeball and returning to investigating the hands as he was previously. He didn't get far because as soon as he grasped the girl's left hand, it gave the slightest twitch. He fell back in fright, dropping the hand back to its owner's side as he scrambled away from her reach.

"King!" He cried out, the empoleon matched his eyes leaving the noctowl behind with Velvet as he hurried to his master's side.

Velvet tried with her might to contain the flying type, but her opponent proved to be stronger when he tossed her aside with a hard hit from his wing. The bird pokemon took to the air in a single flap of his great wings and dove into the back of King's back when the steel type almost reached the boy.

Caspian crawled away on all fours from his potential patient in a mad dash to create distance between the supposed zombie. He managed to get past the tree and several of its broken branches which littered the ground when a loud hissing noise erupted from the tall grass just in front of him.

"King!" He bit out again, the hissing grew louder and out lunged a shadow that wrapped around his entire body faster than he could scream.

Rough scaly skin dug into him like nails and coiled around his frame in a constricting manner, all the while as he struggled to breath. King gave a cry that was cut short when noctowl landed a successful critical hit to the empoleon's side. The green snake that had wrapped itself around the young adult and winding just so that Caspian's limbs could not move the slightest.

"Seeeerrrrpeeeeeriorrr..." The pokemon hissed close to the boy's ear, it's tongue tickling the outside of his ear eliciting a shiver that crept up his spine and spouted goose pimples up and down his arms.

The snake continued to squeeze poor Caspian harder, tears pricking the edges of his eyes as he wiggled to gain the slightest bit of space for his lungs to expand. Black began to edge his vision, his limbs had grown to be heavy while his head felt like it was up in the air when the smallest of whispers was heard.

"Mint..Alistair...Heel."

Immediately the serperior and noctowl reacted, both leaving their victims and retreating towards the fallen trainer's body. Caspian landed with a rough 'thump' and inhaled air deeply and rapidly, trying to regain the feeling of the oxygen normalcy in his respiratory system.

King wobbled to his trainer at his quickest pace while Velvet limped behind him. Amidst the battle, the furret had been hit by a nasty Steel Wing from the noctowl, which cut her paw open, straight down to the bone. King laid a wing on the boy's back as he coughed and sputtered spit on the ground, the sudden release from the snake's hold had made stars burst in his eyes. He wiped excess saliva from around his mouth and looked up to see the two seemingly vicious pokemon hovering around the body he had almost cut into a few moments ago.

With the help of King, Caspian rose from the ground and uneasily stumbled to the girl. King nearly pulled him backwards, thinking the boy had grown quite mad from the sudden bloodrush and was trying to start something with the duo.

The serperior and noctowl greeted them with a harsh hiss and screech when they grew within feet of their master, the noctowl flapped his wings in a warning sending dust and small debris towards the trio. A small noise that Caspian barely even registered and the avian calmed though his eyes continued to train themselves on the human and his fellow pokemon.

Velvet trailed behind Caspian's long legs while he walked the final steps to the girl, aided by King. As he knelt to the ground at the girl's side and a serpent tail wrapped itself around his ankle, constricting just the slightest. It was a silent promise. If the boy caused any harm to the girl, it was guaranteed that harm would come to him. Caspian observed the body before him and was quickly sick to his stomach. The girl hadn't looked alive or seemed to be breathing when he had assessed her earlier, but then again he was distracted by the prospect of having a nearly perfect body to operate on **and his bag** to actually determine her dead. Guilt pitted itself in his stomach and grew there as he glanced at her face and saw her watching him with half-lidded eyes. The light that gave humans life was all but a small smoldering ember that was flickering to extinction fast if he didn't do something.

A sharp intake of breath and a battle of realities vs. ethics later, he managed to convince himself mentally to do the right thing by helping her heal instead of living her out to die a miserable painful death of injuries or being eaten by some zombie. Caspian set out to work, his fingers shaking with anxiety at the simple thought that he might lose his first patient he worked on. He motioned King to bring forth his bag while plucking a pokeball from his waist and throwing it to his left. A small candle with a glowing purple flame flies right back towards Caspian as soon as it is released, grabbing a lock of his hair and tugging on it playfully.

"Not now Wicked. I need you to sterilize these medical knives for me for cauterization and cutting the infected pieces out," he told the litwick while opening his backpack and retrieved said items. The litwick flipped excitedly in the air and produced a large flame for one whose body is so small.

"Alright, Velvet," He turned towards the limping furret and waved her over. "I need you to gather any scraps of cloth you can find and give it to King, he'll scald the clothing to disinfect it and perhaps she'll have a chance to make it out of this hellhole." Caspian muttered the last part as he held a scalpel over Wicked's flame.

~Two Hours and a Break Later~

Caspian laid against the tree trunk, exhausted both mentally and physically. The procedure went by tediously until a haphazardly zombie had stumbled into the clearing but his threatening presence was diminished when a _very _large dinosaur flew onto the scene. The plant pokemon had knocked the zombie back several feet with a kick to the head, proceeding the smash the head into the ground until only a bloody hole and twitching body remained. After that the medical student managed to patch Claire the best he could with his limited supplies. He had to admit he had done quite a shoddy job but slightly inexperienced was better than being simply ignorant of the field. The girl had showed little or no reaction while he had been tinkering with her; he suspected it had to do with her lack of fluids and internal injuries which own pain greatly exceeded what little he was causing.

He was slumped amidst the tree's roots when his muscles grew sore. He truly did hope the girl maked it, though his earlier debate suggested that he did not. He rubbed his face hard, hoping to etch away the possibility of failure. The scent of antiseptics lingered on his palms when he paused briefly to glance at his always loyal team. Velvet stood guard besides a stoic noctowl while King lightly slept on top of Caspian's bag. The tropius and serperior he had encountered earlier lurked around the clearing, watching and guarding the base with utmost diligence. He could occasionally hear one of the two sliding through the waxy blades of grass before the sounds of the wind rustled the trees around them, hiding the pokemon once more. The large flying type disappeared only a few moments later beside a large tree, making Caspian conclude the bird had finally become exhausted.

His red eyes drooped drowsily. Just a little snooze, he thought, eyes almost closing entirely while he swore under his breathe to check on the girl after a few minutes of sweet bliss.

The first thing he realized when he awoke was that it was dark and the air had grown quite nippy. He gazed around the camp while he stretched his stiff neck in all directions hoping that the nap hadn't caused a cramp to form. It was when his stomach growled in hunger did it occur to him that had infact _not _checked on the patient.

The twenty-four year old scrambled from his makeshift bed of grass and leaves and ran to the girl's side all the while pleading desperately to Arceus that he didn't mean to forget the patient and that it was a simple accident. To his relief, the girl still breathed and had even moved a bit, given that the dirt around her hands were pushed off to the side. The scraps of clothing that framed her body showed only minor bleeding from the few splotches of red that darkened the material.

He was about to turn when a small grunt greeted his ears and a pair of eyes fluttered open. He took a knee besides his patient and grasped her hand like a mother would a sickly child. Chapped lips parted as if to say something but instead she turned her head and coughed dryly. Caspian reached over to the side of him where he had left his supplies and pulled out a small waterskin. The girl continued to release small coughs that racked her body in small shakes while he managed to twist the cap off with his spare hand.

He waited only a few moments until the painful hacking ceased and then with utmost grace that he could muster with his unsteady hands, he held the girl's head up and dribbled a small stream of water into her mouth. Uneasy eyes settled on to his own as he let her have only small sips to allow her body to adjust to the liquid and for the fact he needed to restock his supplies.

When he decided she had enough, Caspian tipped back the waterskin and gently placed her head back on the soft mound of grass that bunched together like already made pillow. After clearing her throat for the second time, the girl turned her head towards him with a small smile.

"Thank you," she murmured before cringing when the sound of her voice made her bruised body rumble with vibrations.

Caspian let loose one of the biggest smiles he had in a while before sitting himself next to her side where she watched him with curious eyes. The embers of life that were dying out had evolved into the warmest of fires in her face.

"W-Well I wouldn't _say _that, but glad you made it, sweetheart," he stumbled, when flashback of him almost committing a very newbie mistake flickered behind his glasses. "I know you're thinking 'when can I move doc?' Well, dear, I'm no expert on trauma," or a doctor, he thought, "but it will take a few weeks for some of your bigger injuries to heal right, that's provided we can find some suitable bandages and utensils to clean the wound."

The young woman remained quiet while she pondered a few things. Caspian then remembered that the girl was nearly completely topless when he glanced down to see black and blue bruises greeting his eyes. The frayed ends of his worn out blanket peaked out from his bag of goodies and in an instant he yanked the still soft fabric out, wrapping it around the young woman's shoulders for her modesty's sake.

"W-Well you- I-I-I I had to rip off your shirt 'cause it was stuck and dirty a-and it was the only way to get to your injuries." He fumbled in a soft tone while he flushed for her embarrassment.

Stormy blue eyes flickered downward towards her chest before switching towards his own. A heavy sigh exited between dry lips but the girl made no overly obvious reaction. Perhaps she understood that what he did saved her life? Caspian couldn't answer that but he did need to ask her some questions.

"Ah..Miss, do you have any severe pain anywhere?" He asked.

"Claire."

"E-excuse me?"

Claire raised an eyebrow and repeated once more. "Claire, not Miss"

"Ah. Well, Miss Claire, does anywhere have a sharp severe pain when you're still," he inquired.

She shook her head and tried to sit up, going at a slow pace which allowed her stiff bandages to adjust to the new position. Caspian instantly placed arm behind her when she began to hiss in pain.

"Miss Claire, I highly advise, _as your physician_, that you rest some more and just take it easy." He tried to reason while she battled tender and aching muscles.

"Doc. We can't stop-" she cut off when a wave of pain flooded her nerves. Her ribs must have bruised or even cracked when she hit the ground. It hurt to even breath but Claire had to move! Her blood had been sitting out in the air for a day or so, she couldn't remember which, making it the perfect perfume to lure zombies towards this direction. She didn't how it was possible for zombies to track the scent of fresh blood but if they hadn't have came now they will most likely come soon.

"Now, now sweetheart, the human body needs time to recover. I'm not going anywhere and neither should you." Caspian countered, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder and giving it a slight pull to make her lie down.

"For a doctor, you're not well endowed with common sense are you," she replied, fighting against his hand. In mild surprise Caspian released his hold and watched the pained young lady struggle to sit completely straight.

"What makes you say that?" He pursued.

"Zombies are attracted to fresh blood. The ground and me are covered in it," Claire gestured with a small wave towards her abdomen and the grass beneath her.

The serperior from before slithered into the clearing, passing Caspian and headed straight for Claire. He encircled the girl just so that he was wrapped around her frame but not putting any pressure on her frail state. Claire wrapped her arms around the snake's thick neck and squeezed.

Caspian rose from his kneeling position and stood back, watching the girl hug her serpent pokemon. She probably didn't think she would ever be doing that again, he thought. He jumped to the side when King suddenly appeared beside him. He placed a hand over his heart as if it helped slowed its frantic beating. King rolled his eyes at his trainer and tapped the side of Caspian's arm. The doctor bent down to the empoleon's level and cocked his head, silently asking 'What's up?'.

It was when he heard a thrum of moans that hummed through the trees. Groans and gurgling sounds echoed off in the distance, rising in volume as seconds pressed by. Claire had been right. The blood is quite the zombie attraction.

A crash to their right, sent both humans and pokemon in a frenzy. Nanners exited the brush and galloped towards his injured trainer. He nudged her cheeks and made soft calls, his muzzle inhaling up loose strands from her ponytail while she switched from hugging the grass type to him. His happy noises canceling out any of the dead's song that seemed to get louder and louder.

Caspian quickly sprinted to his supplies and began to collect everything, calling out to Claire while he did so. "You were right, Claire! We need to skidaddle."

Claire nodded against Nanners' leathery skin and motioned the large pokemon to face her. "Nanners, where is everyone's pokeballs," she questioned.

Nanners stared blankly at her for a brief moment before retracting his head from her grasp, gazing towards the shattered tree she had fallen through earlier. Claire scanned the area near the tree's base and saw a familiar glints of red shining between the large roots.

"Mint! Fetch," she ordered her serperior who gave her a rather hurt look before obeying. Mint snagged the pokeballs with a bit difficulty with her leafy tail. Claire gave her snake a pleasant smile before stuffing her pockets full with her pokeballs.

Caspian rushed to gather his scattered materials and retrieve Velvet from her nap. King followed behind him, gathering the tools his master overlooked or dropped. When King deemed everything picked up and in its place, he walked over to Claire. He tapped the metallic spheres in her pocket before pointing at her companions. Nanners replied at the silent order by stomping in front of Claire, snorting angrily while looking down upon the water/steel type. Caspian with Velvet perched on his shoulder quickly placed himself between the two protective pokemon before addressing Nanners rationally.

"Boys we need to move _now_. Nanners," Caspian feebly called the tropius, "You are in no condition to fight. You're exhausted along with snakey over there. You two were patrolling all night, by hauling you two around we, _especially Claire_, is at risk. Just... please listen to me and go into your pokeballs peacefully."

The two leafy green pokemon shared a glanced before confronting their trainer. Claire patted both pokemon on their sides and agreed with the "doctor" with a soft yes. In a bright flash of white, the two pokemon retreated into their pokeballs.

"Now, my lady, we must escape!" Caspian joked grimly when a chubby zombie child waddled onto their clearing. King knocked the tubby child out of the clearing with a hydro pump before nodding at Caspian. The trainer replied to the nod with a pokeball, sucking the empoleon into its confines before throwing another out from his belt.

In mere seconds a large horse with pale colored skin stood neighing in front of the trio. Claire struggled to pull herself up into a standing position when Caspian swooped down and plucked her from the ground. She grasped his flimsy shirt to steady herself when he wobbled under her weight, frightening both themselves and Velvet who screeched in surprise, digging her claws past the shirt into Caspian's shoulder.

Caspian let out a hiss of pain while he stumbled towards his steed. The ponyta knelt down when she saw her trainer struggled to walk with the human girl in his arms. He let out an exasperated whisper of "Thank you" before awkwardly throwing a leg over her sleek frame.

Gypsy neighed in response and stood up just in time to see the child from earlier crawl towards them. She fought back the natural instinct to rear up and turned away from song of the dead that thrummed throughout the forest. Caspian bundled his patient between his trusty horse and his leaning frame, Claire to wince in pain when her ribs cried against the movement and began to tear up when he accidentally grazed her ribs while trying to grab a handful of Gypsy's fiery mane. Caspian ushered a quick apology before taking her arms and putting them around his waist. "Hold on tight," the albino male warned her before kicking the eager mare forward.

Gypsy bounded forward, crashing into the brush with great momentum. Velvet rearranged herself from Caspian's shoulder to Claire's arms for the sake of staying on the fire type. Caspian paid no attention to the moving furret as he tried to steer Gypsy on to a less rigorous setting and dodging the occasional wild pokemon. He hoped that they didn't have to go far, stress of the constantly jerking forward movement of the galloping ponyta must be straining the girl's already bent frame. Wet tears had began to moisten his shirt from the sniffling Claire's eyes and they had yet made it past a mile from their camp. She managed to survive whatever situation she was in so she could at least make it through this, right? He gave the girl a awkward pat on back only to scold himself when she tensed up and began to heave dry sobs even harder.

This was a twisted serendipity, indeed.


End file.
